Sacrifice For Education: Himachal Man Sells Cow to Buy Smartphone For Online Studies of His Children

A poor family in Himachal Pradesh had to sell their cow, a substantial source of income, for just Rs 6,000 to buy a smartphone so that their two children could attend online classes.

With schools and colleges closed due to coronavirus lockdown, studies and classes have moved online and teachers are now imparting lessons from their laptops and smartphones. However, not every student is privileged enough to afford a smartphone and as a result, they are losing out on their education.

But one such family in Himachal Pradesh made sure that children stay connected with online studies amid the COVID-19 lockdown, even if they had to sacrifice everything. As per Tribune, a poor family in Himachal Pradesh had to sell their cow, a substantial source of income, for just Rs 6,000 to buy a smartphone so that their two children could attend online classes.

The man Kuldeep Kumar’s daughter Anu and son Vansh are studying in Class IV and Class II, respectively, in a government school meant to serve the economically weaker section students, who are entitled to free education.

“I purchased a smartphone for the children to continue the study. I was feeling bad that I could not afford a device for my children so that they could attend online classes. So I decided to sell one of my cows for Rs 6,000,” Kumar told IANS.

Selling the cow was the last resort for him as he had knocked on banks and private lenders to get a loan to buy a smartphone but in vain.

“With the switch from classroom teaching to online education, teachers are putting pressure on us that if you want to pursue education for your children, you have to buy a device. With no means of getting a smartphone with our meagre means, we finally decided to sell a cow,” he said.

He earns his livelihood by selling milk and his wife is a daily-wage earner. Now, he has the lone cow to support his family.

When local BJP legislator Ramesh Dhawala was apprised about the poor financial condition of Kumar, he assured to extend government help.

(With IANS inputs)